1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method, for supplying paper in a printer, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method, for supplying paper in a printer having an improved structure for supplying sheets of paper placed in a cassette to a printing unit in the printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A general device such as a printer or a photocopier includes a paper supplying apparatus for receiving a plurality of sheets of paper and sequentially supplying the received sheets of paper to a printing unit of the device.
A paper supplying apparatus in a conventional printer, as shown in FIG. 1, includes a cassette 20 and a pickup roller 13. The cassette 20 is attachable and detachable along guide rails 12 and 14 provided in a printer main body 10, and receives paper. The pickup roller 13 is rotatably installed within the printer main body 10 and is closely in contact with the leading end of paper placed in the cassette 20.
As shown in FIG. 2, when paper 1 loaded in the cassette 20 is supplied to a printing unit (not shown), the pickup roller 13 supplies the paper 1 in close contact with the pickup roller is in the direction indicated by arrow B while descending by a pivoting means (not shown) and simultaneously rotating by a rotating means (not shown). Here, since the corners 27 and 28, of the paper 1 are constrained respectively by finger members 25 and 26, a leading end C of the paper 1 is raised, as indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 2. Thus, the paper 1 is separated from the other sheets of paper below the paper 1 and supplied to the printing unit.
However, in the conventional paper supplying apparatus having such a configuration, the pickup roller 13 rotates and pivots at the same time, and thus may not be horizontally in contact with the paper 1 during pivoting. At this time, a portion of the leading end C of the paper 1 previously in contact with the pickup roller 13 proceed, before the other portion of the leading end C of the paper 1, thereby skewly supplying paper to the printing unit.